RPD looks at mandatory registration for property owners

The Ridgecrest Police Department brought a proposed amendment to the city's municipal code in front of the Infrastructure Committee Tuesday in an attempt to better-curtail potential misuse of abandoned properties.

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By Jack BarnwellStaff Writerjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Ridgecrest Daily Independent - Ridgecrest, CA

By Jack BarnwellStaff Writerjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Posted Jun. 13, 2013 at 3:40 PM
Updated Jun 13, 2013 at 3:46 PM

By Jack BarnwellStaff Writerjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Posted Jun. 13, 2013 at 3:40 PM
Updated Jun 13, 2013 at 3:46 PM

The Ridgecrest Police Department brought a proposed amendment to the city's municipal code in front of the Infrastructure Committee Tuesday in an attempt to better-curtail potential misuse of abandoned properties.

RPD Chief Ron Strand and Capt. Paul Wheeler presented the infrastructure committee with a three-pronged approach to monitor vacant commercial and residential buildings should they become an eyesore.

The ordinance would only apply to vacant residential and commercial properties.

A binder of photos were provided, with some buildings in decent condition and others in disrepair. Wheeler indicated they had been taken by Police and Community Together volunteers.

"The whole idea behind this is for us to start monitoring these vacant commercial and residential buildings that the owners are doing nothing to get these things back on the market, to sell or rent," Strand said. "They're just sitting there and are eyesores."

Those buildings include boarded up buildings, buildings that had been vacant for more than 30 days and distressed structures.

"We made it to where you have to mandatory register your property with police department for a fee to be determined," Strand said.

Registration fees would then allow an opportunity to perform surveillance on the building to determine whether monitoring by RPD was required.

"If that property was in poor condition, we would then monitor the building every 90 days, an appropriate fee would be charged for that service, and we would make sure there were no code enforcement issues on the property," Strand said.

Should the status of the building change – whether by renting or occupying the building – it would be removed from the monitoring list.

Additionally, Strand said there was a waiver component to the proposed dinance change that allowed property owners to leave the lots vacant in some cases.

If a property owner maintained the lot properly, they could request exemption from the monitoring status, but the initial registration fee would be required. Residential properties would also grant a slight deferral in case it was rented within 90 days.

Strand added there were contingencies in place for those that failed to register properties after 90 days, which would result in a fine.

“Put some teeth into it so that if people don't register, then we can come back and issue a citation,” Strand said.

If people failed to pay the fines or monitoring fee, Strand said there was a contingency in place to allow the city manager to lump it onto the owner's property taxes.

Strand said the ordinance would be sent to the city attorney prior to being resubmitted through the committee or council for approval.

“What we would be asking is replacing the entire section in the municipal code,” Strand said. “We'd basically be retooling it.”

Page 2 of 2 - Mayor Pro Tem Jason Patin, chairing the committee, asked about the legal aspects, especially where other towns had similar ordinances.

Strand said RPD's recommendation was a hybrid model that dealt with distressed, boarded up properties in addition to obvious vacant properties.

Failure to maintain the properties properly would result in code enforcement action, likely through the Police and Community Together volunteer.

Jason Patin dropped the question of how RPD would handle houses in foreclosure, citing his experience as a real estate agent.

Strand said there were mechanisms in place to handle that, but Mayor Dan Clark held some reservations.

“Part of the problem is the banks,” Clark said. “They sit on these properties and try to get the most money they can, but if that's the business they want to be in, they have to keep the property up so the neighbors aren't concerned.”

Strand said while the initial focus was on commercial properties, he and Clark had spoken with the Ridgecrest Board of Realtors and was encouraged to incorporate vacant residential lots.

“We have some residences where a family member might die, the property is willed to an out-of-town family and it just sits there,” Strand said. “Part of this ordinance requires that if someone lives more than 60 miles away, the property must be managed locally. You can't be sitting in Florida and leave a property unattended.”

Local property owner Gary Allred asked if all buildings were equal weight. He also expressed concern, primarily because own of his commercial buildings was front and center on the cover of the binder listing vacant properties.

“Houses I understand and that's not a problem,” Allred said. However, Allred added some vacant commercial properties in the book, including ones owned by himself or his family, did not fit seem to fit the requirement for monitoring or registration.

“In this economy it is hard to rent, or build anything,” Allred said.

Patin, the committee chair, said he understood RPD's intent and focus on blighted buildings but expressed caution.

“I don't mind the teeth in this ordinance, but I want it to be meant for people who aren't doing what they're supposed to do,” Patin said.